Lake County nonprofits can now apply for a grant to help offset lost government funding. The Legacy Foundation launched its Lake County Resilience Grant on Thursday. It will provide a total of $600,000 over the next two years to qualifying organizations.
Legacy Foundation President and CEO Kelly Anoe said many local nonprofits are now in survival mode, cutting staff and services to stay open. "We've seen the data, we've listened to the stories, and we understand that this moment calls for more than concern," Anoe said. "It calls for action."
Nonprofit leaders discussed some of the specific challenges their organizations are facing. City Life Center in Gary says it stands to lose 40 to 50 percent of the funding it uses for after-school programs. CoAction says $10 million dollars in energy assistance funding for Northwest Indiana is at risk, in current federal budget proposals.
The Northwest Indiana Food Council says it's had success with a federal program that connects schools with locally-grown food, only for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to abruptly end the program in March, after schools and farmers already expected it to continue. "The reality is we have farmers who may need to seek off-farm jobs or close entirely because they put their faith in the USDA to honor their word and their contracts," said Northwest Indiana Food Council Co-Executive Director Anne Massie. "Our small farmers need support, and they are watching large commodity farms receive federal relief checks and subsidies due to the impact from tariffs."
Lakeshore Public Media President and CEO Chuck Roberts said the organization lost 30 percent of its budget, when the state opted not to continue funding public broadcasting. "The main thing we do is community outreach and community service and tell the stories of the people who live here and why that's so important, because we're not Chicago. We're not South Bend. We're that area in the middle that doesn't get a lot of coverage," Roberts said.
The new Lake County Resilience Grant won't make up for all of the lost funding. The grants will only cover up to 25 percent of the money that nonprofits can prove that they've lost. And each organization can only apply for up to $40,000 every 12 months.
Anoe said it's just one piece of the puzzle. "We know that this funding alone won't fix everything or replace every lost dollar, even close to it," Anoe acknowledged. "But our hope is that is sparks something, that it encourages others to step up."
The program also aims to make local nonprofits more sustainable in the long-term. The Legacy Foundation plans to expand its training programs in things like financial planning and leadership.
The Legacy Foundation provides support to Lakeshore Public Media.
